Published Apr 26, 2016 at 4:52 AM

Keno Now a Reality in Connecticut

Keno is now available statewide at 2,900 Connecticut Lottery retailers (Published Monday, April 25, 2016)

Keno is now available statewide at 2,900 Connecticut Lottery retailers.

Just like other lottery games, players can have numbers generated automatically through Quick Pick or they can test their luck by picking their own 10 numbers.

“You can play every 4 minutes, so you don’t have to wait with like Powerball, Lotto, Mega Millions for a nighttime draw,” Dawn Sperling said.

Sperling works at Daybreak Doughnuts and Coffee Shop in Bridgeport. It is one of about 300 locations with a monitor to view the results.

“I tried it a few times, unfortunately I haven’t won yet,” Bruce Nelson said. “It’s a nice game, I like it.”

Nelson has played a couple times since Keno debuted at Daybreak last week.

“Twenty numbers come out,” Nelson said. “If you get 10 of the 20 numbers you win a big prize. If you have no numbers, you can win $4.”

Proceeds from Keno give the state’s General Fund another revenue source, according to Anne Noble, President and CEO of the Connecticut Lottery.

“The Lottery’s success in recent years is attributable to paying careful attention to what our players want when they choose to gamble,” Noble said in a statement. “In Connecticut, people like and play a variety of lottery games, with scratch and traditional draw games enjoying many years of success and popularity throughout the state. Keno is an entirely new way to play the lottery, and is a more social way to enjoy lottery games.”

Sperling said she expects Keno will provide a boost to Daybreak’s business, especially when it’s cold out.

“When the winter comes, I’m looking forward to all the guys and customers playing Keno,” Sperling said.